Claims:1. A system (100) to protect a high pressure pump (140) in a low pressure
circuit, said system (100) comprising:
? a first path leading from a fuel tank (120) to said high pressure pump
(140);
? a second path leading from said high pressure pump (140), a rail
(150) and an injector (160) to said fuel tank (120), characterized in
that:
? an accumulator (112) positioned in fuel return line from said
high pressure pump (140), a rail (150) and an injector (160)
in said second path leading to said fuel tank (120);
? a fuel level sensor (114) disposed in said accumulator (112),
connected to a controller (110); and
? a valve (116) adapted to control flow of fuel from said
accumulator (112) to said fuel tank (120).
2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said accumulator (112)
serves as common storage of fuel flowing back from said high pressure
pump (140), said rail (150) and an injector (160) to said fuel tank (120).
3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fuel level sensor
(114) is adapted to measure quantity of fuel accumulated in said
accumulator (112) and capable of feeding the measured value to said
controller (110).
4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said valve (116) is
capable of blocking the fuel return line from said accumulator (112) to
said fuel tank (120) when engine is OFF and opening the fuel return line
from said accumulator (112) to said fuel tank (120) when engine is ON.
5. A controller (110) to protect a high pressure pump (140) in a low
pressure circuit, said controller (100) adapted to:
? receive from a fuel level sensor (114) measured value of fuel
accumulated quantity in said accumulator (112); and
? control cranking of engine based on the received 5 quantity of fuel
accumulated in said accumulator (112).
6. The controller (110) as claimed in claim 5, wherein said controller (110)
adapted to allow engine cranking when quantity of fuel accumulated in
10 said accumulator (112) is beyond a predetermined fuel quantity value.
7. The controller (110) as claimed in claim 5, wherein said controller (110)
adapted to refuse engine cranking and activate malfunction indicator on
dashboard when quantity of fuel accumulated in said accumulator (112)
is lower than the predetermined fuel quantity value.
8. A method for protecting a high pressure pump (140) in a low pressure
circuit, said method comprising the steps of:
? measuring, by said fuel level sensor (114), quantity of fuel
accumulated in said accumulator (112);
? receiving, by said controller (110), quantity of fuel accumulated in
said accumulator (112) from said fuel level sensor (114); and
? controlling, by said controller (110), engine cranking based on the
received quantity of fuel accumulated in said accumulator (112).
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said controller (110) adapted
25 to allow engine cranking when quantity of fuel accumulated in said
accumulator (112) is beyond a predetermined fuel quantity value.
10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said controller (110)
adapted to refuse engine cranking and activate malfunction indicator on
dashboard when quantity of fuel accumulated in said accumulator (112)
is lower than the predetermined fuel quantity value. , Description:A system, controller and method to protect high pressure pump from failure is
disclosed. The system (100) comprising a first path leading from a fuel tank
(120) to the high pressure pump (140), a second path leading from the high
pressure pump (140), a rail (150) and an injector (160) to the 5 fuel tank (120),
characterized in that, an accumulator (112) positioned in fuel return line from
the high pressure pump (140), a rail (150) and an injector (160) in the second
path leading to the fuel tank (120), a fuel level sensor (114) disposed in the
accumulator (112), connected to a controller (110), and a valve (116) adapted
10 to control flow of fuel from the accumulator (112) to the fuel tank (120).